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Wu should step down

For lack of candor, not because of treatment

Appeared in print: Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2011, page A8

Now that an explanation for U.S. Rep. David Wu’s sometimes peculiar behavior has emerged, Oregon Democrats are saying that talk of a resignation is premature. The 1st District congressman says he has sought professional care, and supporters claim that seeking treatment should not disqualify a person for public office. They’re right, but that’s not the issue. The real problem is a lack of candor, and for that he should resign.

On Oct. 30, Wu’s staff members demanded that he check into a psychiatric hospital for treatment, according to The (Portland) Oregonian. Wu, who has represented Oregon’s 1st District since 1999, refused. Wu’s staff kept him away from public events in the final days of the campaign, and on Nov. 2 he was easily re-elected to a seventh term. Many of Wu’s top staff members have quit since the election, including his chief of staff, pollster and campaign treasurer.

Wu’s district extends from the northern Oregon Coast to the west side of Portland, and he has not been a frequent visitor to this part of the state. But people in Lane County who recall Wu’s off-key introduction of Barack Obama on the University of Oregon campus in 2008 have some understanding of reports of disjointed public appearances in his district and in Washington, D.C. His behavior in private has reportedly been even more erratic, leading staff members to stage their unsuccessful intervention.

Wu claims he has been under a lot of stress lately because of the breakup of his marriage, the death of his father and the rigors of a tough campaign. That adds up to a heavy load, and there should be no shame in seeking help. Wu has had little to say since The Oregonian’s reports were published last weekend, but claimed in a prepared statement that he had sought “professional medical care.”

That’s good — though the judgment of some around him seems to be that Wu needs different or more intensive care than he has been getting.

It’s easy to understand why Wu and his staff wanted to keep questions about his condition quiet until after the election. Any suggestion of psychiatric problems at the peak of a campaign would have been political suicide. Yet at the same time, the congressman’s silence, and that of his staff members, led voters to make their decision without knowing important facts about the leading candidate.

Wu should have been forthcoming about his medical treatment when it began. Candor might have been costly, but there might also have been rewards — including understanding and sympathy. Successful treatment could also have had visible results, providing reassurance to staff members and voters alike.

Whatever the price of candor, the price of its absence is higher. Wu can recover his health, but public trust is lost forever. He should step down.